Pacific Northwest braces for extreme cold, ice

Frigid temperatures chilled large swaths of the Pacific Northwest Wednesday and are forecast to do so for the rest of the week, as dangerous winter weather conditions continue to grip the region and other parts of the country.

The National Weather Service has warned that wind chills on Thursday could plunge to zero degrees in Portland, Oregon and could potentially plummet to 25 degrees below zero in parts of the Cascades in northern Oregon and southern Washington State.

Those mountainous areas could receive up to five inches of snow and nearly half an inch of ice, with wind gusts possibly topping 70 miles per hour above the tree line, the agency said. The city and the county said they will open four severe weather shelters Wednesday night for as long as conditions require.

Snowfall blanketed areas north of Seattle such as Bellingham and parts of the northern Cascades on Tuesday, disrupting air travel and halting traffic on mountain passes.